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Stores are already out of water. They would quickly run out of gas to power everyone’s generators. Definitely generators would have helped, but only to a poin

• ghaff 6y ago
  If you want to do it right, you probably have a generator wired in that feeds off a big propane tank. There's also a lot to be said for having an automatic system that works even if you're not home. (That said, this is the perspective of someone in a northern state who normally travels a lot so I come at this from the perspective of not losing power for an extended period during any random winter.)
  • chasd00 6y ago
    right, there are setups that would have helped people get through the situation better but actually needing it is so rare as to not be worth the cost. When it's > 100F in Chicago for three weeks in a row things start to fail because that is very very rare. Three weeks > 100F in TX happens every so often and we have plans for it. A state wide winter storm and sub-zero temperatures is pretty unheard of for Texas and so, yeah, things fell apart.
    • ghaff 6y ago
      TBH, I have never actually sprung for one in New England although I'm periodically tempted. The main culprit for extended power outages in New England tends to be ice storms so the temperatures are usually not especially cold. I'm also on a fairly major road in an exurban but not really rural environment. I'd probably feel differently if I were at the end of a country road in the middle of nowhere. I also don't have vulnerable people at home. The only thing I really worry about is my pipes. Other than that, I'll fire up the wood stove and get out the lanterns.